page_title: Qing dynasty coinage
section_title: Establishing mints in Xinjiang
hierarchical_section_title: Qing dynasty coinage / Xinjiang / Establishing mints in Xinjiang
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Une monnaie en cuivre d'une sapèque de l'empereur Gaozong (1736-1795) ère Qian Long (1736-1795) de la dynastie Qing (1644-1912) pour la province du Xinjiang à Yarkang. Cette province a été conquise en 1759. A/ Qian Long tong bao (Monnaie courante de Qian Long) (Lecture en croix&#160;: haut-bas-droite-gauche) R/ Yerkiyang à gauche, Y(a)rk(a)nd à droite Dimension&#160;: 26.41 mm (diamètre), 2.32 mm (épaisseur) Poids&#160;: 7.3 g. Référence&#160;: H22.437 Remarque&#160;: La monnaie est plus épaisse que d'habitude (environ 1.4 mm) et son poids plus lourd. Les ateliers monétaires ont fonctionné de 1760 à 1769 pour cet atelier qui a changé de nom en 1761. Avant il s'appelait Yerkim (H22.435-H22.436) puis devient Yarkand mais rien ne dit si l'inscription a changé à la même date. Il s'agit d'une belle monnaie. Indice de rareté&#160;: 11 (Commune) (D'après D.Hartill) 中文: 清代新疆叶尔羌局铸造的一枚铜钱，叶尔羌局设立于乾隆二十五年（1760年）。该钱面文为“乾隆通宝”，背文穿左为满文“叶尔羌”，穿右为维文“叶尔羌”。不同于内地制钱，新疆用红铜所铸红钱按清廷规定当重二钱（7.46g），该币实重7.3g，但仍比一般的红钱稍重。该币钱径为26.41mm，钱厚为2.32mm。
context_page_description: Qing dynasty coinage was based on a bimetallic standard of copper and silver coinage. The Manchu Qing dynasty ruled over China from 1644 until it was overthrown by the Xinhai revolution in 1912. The Qing dynasty saw the transformation of a traditional cash coin based cast coinage monetary system into a modern currency system with machine-struck coins, while the old traditional silver ingots would slowly be replaced by silver coins based on those of the Mexican peso. After the Qing dynasty was abolished its currency was replaced by the Chinese yuan by the Republic of China.
context_section_description: As the state mint of the Dzungar Khanate was located in Yarkant, and many Dzungar pūl coins still circulated there as well as in Kashgar, and Hotän a new mint was opened in Yarkant in 1760 employing 99 people (among them 8 Han Chinese from Shaanxi who were previously employed by a provincial mint there). Melting and casting equipment was transported from the Shaanxi province to Yarkant for the new mint to start producing coinage, not only Dzungar pūl coins were used but also leftover equipment from the military. The coins produced at this mint show the mint mark both in the Manchu and Uyghur languages. The Qing dynasty was able to claim 2.6 million pūl coins from the population at an exchange rate of 2 pūls for 1 cash, but in 1762 the exchange rate was placed at par causing the Qing to eventually discontinue the exchange in 1768 as the pūl would continue circulate, and the Yarkant mint was forced to import copper from the Turfan mint. In 1769 the Yarkant mint was closed having produced between two and three thousand strings of "Red Cash".
  A mint opened in Aksu in 1761, as Aksu had a high amount of natural copper resources near it, as well as gaining a lot of scrap copper through taxes. The mint itself was large housing 6 furnaces and employing 360 people including technical staff from China proper to oversee the production of "Red Cash" in Aksu. Most cash coins produced in Aksu almost exclusively circulated in the 4 largest cities of the former Dzungar Khanate.
  As the General of Ili made Turfan the administrative capital of Xinjiang's southern circuit the Aksu mint was relocated there in 1766, and after the Yarkant mint had closed down in 1769 the Turfan mint became the sole mint of the southern circuit. At first the standard weight of 2 qián (the same as Dzungar pūl coins circulating at the time) was maintained but a copper shortage in 1771 caused the "Red Cash" from Turfan to become a half qián lighter, and 3 years later had its weight brought at par with cash coins from China proper. In 1799 the Turfan mint was brought back to Aksu because of that city's increasing economic dominance over the region of Southern Xinjiang.
caption: A Qianlong era coin minted at the Yarkant Mint.
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